Scope Mount for 700

[yo1dog]

I have decided on a Nikon ProStaff 5-3.5-14X40 scope for my Rem. 700 Varmint SF. I will mostly be target shooting at 50-100 yards, maybe out to a couple hundred if I ever get the land. Maybe use for hunting.

I am trying to decide on the mount and there are a couple factors. I did some research and this is what I came up with:


How Much to Spend
The gun is $900 the scope is $350, and I am guessing I should spend around $100-$200 on the mount.

Steel vs Aluminum
There is not much difference but steel is generally preferred when weight is not an issue (it is not for me).

One Piece vs Two
Again, not much difference but a one piece is preferred. But, what exactly does "One Piece" mean? Does it mean both rings are directly connected (eg. one block of steel) or does it mean both rings are connected to a single base (eg. both rings on a single picatinny rail)? Is there a difference between two rings mounted on a single base and two rings mounted on individual bases/directly to the gun? Also, would a rail/bar over the action make it difficult to load rounds?

MOA on the Mount
Some rails and bases have 20 MOA built in. As far as I understand, this is needed by long distance shooters so their adjustment range is higher. I assume I don't need this, but would it be detrimental to short range shooting (50-100 yards)?

Scope Height
The scope should be as low as possible without touching the rifle. Because the objective diameter of my scope is 40mm, I assume I should be getting "low" rings.

Manufacturer
Everyone has their own opinion but these seem to be the most popular in my price range:

• Leuplod
• EGW
• Tally
• DNZ

Given all of this, I have come up with a couple possible setups:

A. Steel Rail and Rings
This setup is all steel, but I have never seen Brownells recommended. What is the quality of the rail? Is there a better steel rail I should be using?

Brownells Steel Picatinny Rail
Leupold PRW Rings
$145.98

B. Leupold Aluminum Base and Rings
Leupold might have been the most recommended brand, but the price on this setup is lower than EGW and Tally. How is the quality compared to those?

STD Base
STD Rings
$68.00

C. EGW Aluminum Rail and Rings
Seems to be a good quality setup.

Picatinny Rail
Practical Rings
$99.98

D. Tally Aluminum Rail and Rings
Seems to be a high quality setup, maybe higher than EGW?

Picatinny Rail
Fixed Rings
$144.90

E. Tally Aluminum Two Piece Rings
Two piece is a drawback but if the lack of bar across the action makes it easier to load, it might be worth it.

Rings For Rem. 700
$49.95

F. DNZ Aluminum One-Piece Mount
Seems pretty cheap compared to the other one-piece mounts I have seen. Is the quality in range with everything else?

Game Reaper
$65.00


The best setup would be one-piece and steel, but I couldn't find one for my 700 in my price range. I am leaning towards the steel setup. The Tally two-piece setup might be a good choice if the the bar over the action impedes loading. As far as the aluminum setups go, it depends on which is higher quality. The DMZ setup is one piece which is great if the quality is good.

Sorry for the long post. Any suggestions and advice are greatly appreciated. Thanks,
- Mike

 

[WNTFW]

EGW rail and Burris Xtreme rings are a pretty good setup for the money.

http://www.amazon.com/Burris-420160...&sr=8-1&keywords=burris+xtreme+tactical+rings

 

[krimmie]

You may have to consider using extension rings to get the proper eye relief; I had to use them when I set up my Remington 700 last month.

 

[OYE]

First I'll try to answer some of your questions.

1. A 2 piece base is just that. The front and rear is not connected. I would study the Leupold website. Leupold offers this option on many mounts including
the dual dovetail which is intended for use with the heaviest magnums. So Leupold evidently doesn't think there is much difference. And neither do we.

The two piece design gives more access to the action whether it be dual dovetail, STD, or rail etc...

2. The Leupold STD mounts and rings are steel. One piece STD mounts use 3 screws and two piece STD mounts use 4 screws. 2 piece STD can be purchased with a reversable front base that may or may not be needed to position the scope for proper eye relief. Extension rings can be purchased for the same reason and they fit both one piece and two piece. Both are often used on compact scopes where the user will be wearing heavy clothing.


3. Integral base and ring usually refers to mounts that have the ring and base as one piece. They come in one and two piece base design.

An example would be Remington 700 integral scope mount (there are others). You can look them up. The finish is a little rough on these and you often need to clean out the threads on the rings. And they are an aluminum alloy I believe, that is advertised to be stronger than most aluminum mounts whatever that means. Remington does make them for the 700. They are a good example of the integral ring and base and most people can afford them if eye relief is not an issue.

4. We would normally use med. height rings on that size scope as "our preference".

There are many quality mounts out there that will probably work fine. Personally we stay away from any that attach to a rail with a loose flap of metal. We don't mount those. OYE

 

[jlr1962]

If you plan on changing the stock, you might want to do that before mounting your scope. I had to get new rings as my cheek weld was out of whack after getting the new stock. A pic rail base makes for easy ring or scope swaps. Looks better IMHO.

 

[Mike C2]

I have the Leupold one piece mount with the dovetail front and windage adjustable rear on my Remington 700. I'm familiar with that on a couple of 1903A3 Springfields I have and like them. But with factory drilled and tapped mounts there's not much need for the windage adjustment since the scope should be pretty much centered, but that was not always true with gunsmith or gun owner drilled/tapped holes.

 

[jmr40]

I use Talley Lightweights on all hunting rifles. The only other I'd consider is DNZ. No need for anything else, the scope will break long before either of these will. In fact since the base and lower ring are one piece they are stronger than most steel rings.

The windage adjustable mounts are useful if your rifles mounting holes are drilled improperly. That used to be fairly common years ago when rifles did not come drilled and tapped and the work needed to be done by a gunsmith. You couldn't give me a set otherwise. I've never actually seen a rifle that needed them.

 

[yo1dog]

Thanks for all the great info guys.

I am between Leupold Dovetail Base/Dovetail Rings and Talley Lightweight Rings.

A couple more questions:

• Are there any advantages/disadvantages to mounting directly to the gun vs a base?
• How do I know what height I need before I buy?
• How do I know if I need extension rings for eye relief before I buy? The scope says it has 4" of eye relief.

 

[OYE]

A search for determining ring height will turn something up. A visit to Leupold's site would be quite worthwhile. They have mounting videos as well. Some measuring on your scope of the inch tube length between the turret and the power selector and the turret and the bell on the objective lense will likely help. More searching will turn up more. On choosing scopes do your homework. If you get recommendations find out how the scope/rifle is being used. Normal hunting or benchrest only.
Does it bounce around on 4 wheelers or horseback all day ? What's perfectly fine for a benchrest shooter or normal foot hunting may not be reliable at all for being bounced around on a 4 wheeler all day or the horseback hunter.
Are the ring screws being screwed into aluminum or steel? Does that matter to you? Does price matter ? Are all aluminums created equal ? Will the extra weight of steel rings and bases be too much to bear ? Things to think about. Do your homework. OYE

 

[bman940]

Just to throw this out there, Nikon has a PROMO going on right now and you can save $50 on the MONARCH 3 4-16x42 Side Focus Mildot. Drop's the price down to $389 and lets you move up to Nikon's MONARCH series of scopes.
I have a 700 SPS and I used Warne 1 inch med. rings that came with me rifle. Plenty of clearance front and rear plus room for flip up scope covers which I like to use for hunitng.
Make sure you check out this site's Sponsor's for the best price too.

 

[yo1dog]

Thanks for the tip on that sale! I am upgrading my scope to a Nikon Monarch 3 3-12x42.

As far as the mount goes, two questions still remain:

• Are there any advantages/disadvantages to mounting directly to the gun vs a base?
• Does a bar over the action (like the Leupold STD one-piece base) have a significant impact on access to the action? I know it will somewhat, but is it enough to avoid this type of base?

 

[OpticsPlanet]

Another option that I've found to be "rock solid" if you're going to leave it all mounted up is the Leupold Dual Dovetail system http://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-duel-dovetail-dd-2pc-2-piece-bases.html http://www.opticsplanet.com/leupold-dual-dovetail-dd-rings.html

George P.